Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a film journalist by day and an author by night, so I’m sort of a loner superhero. Only less cool. As a film journalist, I write mostly for Total Film magazine, who’ve sent me off around the world to meet real-life ghost hunters, visit movie sets and chat with people like Tony Todd at Comic-Con. On the author side of things, I’m thrilled to have just had my first book published. It’s called Sentinel and it’s a dark YA fantasy. I also have a couple of YA horror books in the pipeline (or should that be the sewer?), but it’s a bit too early to say anything more than that.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Sentinel is the first book in The Sentinel Trilogy. It’s a moody, gritty YA fantasy set in Cambridge, England, where I grew up. I started writing it when I was 15, and it’s basically a weird, misshapen lovechild of all the amazing fantasy books, movies and TV shows I grew up watching. I don’t think there’s a one single thing that inspired Sentinel, beyond my love of thrill-a-minute storytelling and cool things like talking cats, but it’s definitely a very personal story. There are certain things in there that are very specific to my life – especially the demons, who I may or may not have based on real people. Revenge is sweet…
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wish I could tell you that I can only write while wearing gravity boots and hanging upside down from a doorframe, but I’m probably like most people. I sit and stare in horror at a blank page for a while, then I figure I’d better put something on there to make it look a little more friendly. I drink a lot of coffee and herbal tea, which generally gets the synapses firing, and if things get really dire, I go and annoy the cat for a while! Her grumpy face soon persuades me to get back to work – no reason we should both suffer.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Stephen King was a huge inspiration for me as a kid, probably because I started reading his stuff before I really should have. (Didn’t we all?) His ability to write flawed, realistic characters is second to none. There was also a book called Grinny by Nicholas Fisk which terrified me so much that I still can’t go back and read it. And I devoured just about every Point Horror novel out there (it was the ’90s), so teen horror still has a big place in my literary heart.
What are you working on now?
I’ve almost finished writing Ruins, the second book in The Sentinel Trilogy. It’s taken me a little over a year, mostly because I originally self-published Sentinel, only to get lucky and have a publishing house sign me up to re-release it as a paperback. So the last few months have been a whirlwind of press and marketing. But it’s great to finally have the end in sight on Ruins. As the second book in the series, it’s a tricky one to pull off, and the story’s taken me on a few unexpected trips that I hadn’t planned for. But I’m really pleased with what I’ve got so far. It’s different to Sentinel, but in a good way!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Bloggers are where it’s at. They love books, and if they love yours, that’s the best thing that could ever happen to a start-out author. I love doing Q&As and discussing other YA fantasy fiction, which seems to be what most bloggers love, too! Really, a book’s best selling point is you, the author. If you can find a way to make your book stand out, great, and if you’re able to talk about the book in a way that makes people excited, even better. It’s a tricky juggling act. For years, I was too embarrassed about my writing to talk about it to anybody, and suddenly when Sentinel was published, I had to ‘big it up’ to all and sundry, hopefully without sounding like an idiot. (I probably sound like an idiot.)
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s easy to get beaten down and hate what you’re writing, but give yourself time to grow and improve with every new draft. It can be a frustrating, isolating process, but if you’re determined and willing to learn, great stuff can happen. Also, bananas and peanut butter on toast are great for energy boosts when you’re beginning to slump at the keyboard!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
This isn’t really advice per se, but I once interviewed an author called Markus Zusak (The Book Thief), and he said that he always tries to put “a little jam” on every page when he’s writing. Which is to say that he wants every page to contain something colourful and surprising. I definitely try to live (and write) by that rule.
What are you reading now?
I’ve got a couple of books on the go at the moment. First up, I’m reading Slip by David Estes, which is a fantastic dystopian thriller, sort of Hunger Games meets Blade Runner… only nothing like that. It was meant to be published this month, but then a publishing house became interested, so it’s delayed slightly. I’m thrilled for David, though. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. And I’m also reading Dreams And Shadows by C. Robert Cargill. It’s not the kind of thing I usually read, but I’m about 200 pages in and it’s interesting so far. I definitely can’t tell where the story’s going!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just going to keep writing! I have a few horror manuscripts that I’m working on, and then at some point I’ll have to write the third book in The Sentinel Trilogy. That’s going to be tough, not only because there are a lot of things to tie up in book three, but also because I’ve lived with this trilogy for so long now I’m nervous about saying goodbye. I love the characters, so that’s going to be tough. Especially as some of them might not make it out alive…
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a gorgeous historical drama and one of my favourites. Red Dust Road by Jackie Kay is a beautiful autobiographical novel, and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is an absolute stonker of a gothic mystery. Wow, lots of ladies there! I’d also take anything by Robin Jarvis (The Deptford Mice, Tales From The Wyrd Museum) and probably a few Point Horrors for fun. Sorry, that’s more than four, but I’ll take a big bag to fit them all in.
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